Books For Africa

World's largest organization working to end the book famine in Africa. Collects, sorts, ships, and distributes books to children, adults, libraries, and schools throughout Africa.

Children and adults in Africa are hungry to read, hungry to learn. Yet a severe book “famine” often stands in their way. Books For Africa aims to end that famine.

Since its founding in 1988, Books For Africa has shipped more than 27 million textbooks and library books to 48 African countries. In 2011 alone, we shipped more than 2.2 million books to 22 African countries valued at over $22 million. Books For Africa will ship to any location in Africa where a sponsor is ready to receive and distribute books.

For ten-year-old Ebrima, a Primary 4 student in The Gambia, books transformed his educational experience. Since Ebrima’s school in Banjul—Banjulinding Lower Basic—received a shipment of books from GambiaHELP in partnership with Books For Africa, his test scores have improved. His teachers report the books motivated Ebrima to focus on his reading. They said that since their arrival, books have “become his close friends.”

“Books For Africa is a simple idea, but its impact is transformative,” says Kofi Annan, former U.N. Secretary-General. “For us, literacy is quite simply the bridge from misery to hope.”